2003 Yule

As I mentioned over in the Brittany blog, long and complex posts are on hold for the moment while we scramble to get caught up (and I have one very long and potentially contentious post in mind about the Pipemaker's Forum, but I'll need writing time available to handle the inevitable discussion that will raise). Thus, today's photo is a simple quickie - a test shot of one of the 2003 Ligne Bretagne Yule pipes. These pipes were, in many ways, the first beta tests of the new Ligne Bretagne "A" series pipes - that is to say, pipes made using cutters to "top" them to a common template, and finished from there primarily by hand. We had a very difficult time cutting these initial pipes, and didn't resolve our problems until a year later when we invested in some speed-changing pulleys for the big drilling & cutting machine. The 2003 Yule pipes are special in another way, also - they were the last Yule pipes that we produced in any form, under any of our various marques. I seriously doubt that I will make another Yule pipe series in my lifetime.